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May 3 i927.

G. M. ROUSE FIRE ESCAPE' mea oct, 22. l1924Y 2 sums-sheet 1A Boff esV umask,

G. M. RousE FIRE ESCAPE Fiied oct. 22, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 flttozneq 5 1 hin mentioned by providing Across descent ,of the 'person Patented May 3,A i927.

tiri, tain enonen M.l acusa, or wnsmivronnnaivn,

New 1roms.e.s.s1e}i\ior.,l BYY Dinner I.aan v Mnsnn Assiemvrnnfrs, on carni-Titian 'ro naar w. settimana, or wnsriuoan- H LAND, NEW YORK, .AND ONE-,THIRD TG GUY in. Tirer/Laser Unica, New YORK.

, FIRE ESCAPE.

Application filed October 22, 1924. Serial 1\1o."?l.l5.141.y

present invention relates to fire esof the type wherein handled members li/ly capes tion faces to engage rope to control the upon the fire escape.

The ypurpose ofv my invention is to provide aY re escape of the class described which is simple and economical lin construction. durable and efficient in use and easily applied to or removed from a krope or cable.

l A. further purpose Ais to provide a fire es? Acape of the class Adescribed which can be easily applied to the ropeinf an obvious'man? ner and apnliedbroad-side to the rope., thaty i is without having` an end of the rope available but which fire escape will when mounted upon the rope have crossbars or linkscon necting the twoV members of the lire escape together upon opposite sides of the rope.

Heretofore fire escapes of thegeneral type here mentioned that have been attachable sidewise to the rope have had offset iaws or .iawsproiecting from one. side of the hinged members; able on account of the great strain that may be placed upon the device when used too energetically und er the excitement ofthe stress of a iire. v It is the purpose of this invention to overcome the disadvantage'above members' or links which when .the device is applied to the rope straddle the rope and so enable the re escape to safely withstand the greatv strain it is subjected to.

Further objects and advantages of the ine vention will appear from the' speciication and claims herein.

Fig. 1`is aside elevation of a fire escapeembodyingy my invention with the main members separat-ed to receive a rope.Y

Fig.-2 is a side elevationof the vtire4 escape whenthe membersare in` closed position to v grasp'the rope.

Fig. 3 is a top view of *thefireescape as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 isa top view of the-fire yescape with the parts in theposition theyoccupy in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in a more particular description it will be seen that the re escape comprises two main membersv 5 and 6 permanently and'pivotally connected bya cross bar 7. and detachably connected edto each other are provided'with'fricholding or supported This construction is obiection by a second cross bar'S. hln the drawings the leftlhand member j5 is shown as remaining 1n the same 'position and theright hand member 6 is shown'asthe one which is swung upward lto 'openedp0sition, and' form the handle 10'for 'this memberf To the `right hand edgeV of the vpiece of'wood Vis secured av` strip of metal llwhich atits upper end is bentto the" leftin a curve forminganeye 12'v which'closely encircles moet of the length of the shank of abolft`13 which bolt has its head 1e spaced'forwardly` lfrom said eye 12 as particularly shown in Figsf 'andiA l Immediatelvtothe right of thestrip of vmetal 11 and extending substantially the length thereof is placed and fixed thefric# tion blockl of this `left hand member' 57 having in lits right hand side as seen in Figs.

3 and La semi-circular groove 16 adapted to engage one side of thewfire escape ropejl'?.

lThe block 15 and the metal strip 11 `are securely fastened to thewood 9fof the meme ber 5 by means of la bolt 37 piercing said members near their top and bymeans of a y screw 18 extending throughxthe block and the metal stripfneantheir lower ends and" rwell into thewood 9.

Vpassing to 'the r1' Rigidly projecting member 5 and at the tht Aof the rear side thereof as the parts are seen in Figs-1 and 2there is4v provided 'a cross'piece 7. This issecured y to the member 5 by said cross piece being 95 piercedbythe bolt 18 and held to said'bolt and against vthe eye 12 by vthenut 2O on the rear end of said bolt. Saidl cross piece is of'said leg'. The member 21 is at the rear of .the handle 9" as `thefdevice is shown in Figs; 1 and 2 but its lengthgand width are further held from swinging vrelativeto said member 45 through having a downwardly extending integral leg 21 the lower end of which issecurely fastenedtothe woodl 9 of Athis member by means `Oia bolt 22 extending throughV said'fwoo'd andthe lower end' indicated by the two spaced vertical ldotted lines appearing" on `the-handle 19 A1n Fig.` 1. l f

This member 21 preferably has the same thickness asthe cross piece 7 and with said cross piece 7 forms an integral inverted L-s'haped part with the member 21 formingzq ian` anchor to help hold the cross piece 7 out at risgjh't-y angles' to 'thegeneral length of the handle 9. l

The right hand main member 6 is preferi ably formed from a long strip of suitable metal bent or formedto'provide a-n'eye 23 to be mounted upon the outer end of the cross piece 7, a straight'block-supportingportion- 24', a handle 25 preferably formedby doubling said strip offmetal into a lonp; closed 'loop and an upwardly extending brace 26l portion' 24 as the partsl mounted'uponftheI free end of the cross bar ,of ythis member.

7 by means ofl a? bolt 27 which extends through a suitable'zlioley in the free end of said cross bar V7 and then through the eye The forward end of Ythisgbolt also extends: through the second cross bar '18.- `This second cross bar 8 is held rigidly from swinging' relative to said memf said second bar.

ber 6 asby having-'rits' other end securely fastened' as'by rive`tf28 t'othebrace 26 a short '.Tdistance"doivnfrom t-he'upper or free end' 'of said brace.;y

' The upper'end-of said brace l26,- that is the portion above the cross bar 8 forms a hook` 29 projectingT above the Aouter en'd of The 'outer' or free endof the cross 8` is offset outwardly as' it approaches the b'ra'ce26l s'o that the'hoolrV 29 `may lier i-n thex plane next in front of the member 5 so'that said hookv may engage the lefthand side 'ofitheshanktof bolt 13'underlneath the-head 14%, asy the members approach closed positionl'as plainly Vindicated in Figs. Y

2 and 3. 1 j To theport-ion 24: of member 6; and upon the side' thereof vfacing' the other friction 'block r 15 is securely fastened thel friction block 30 for-member 6 as' by bolts 31. In its side towards the other friction block this 1 friction block f30 has a semi-circular groove exten-'ding ylengthwise of the block and adapted to engage one'side of the fireescape -r'ope or cable'17.

i vto 'a rope the members shown in saidfigure With the parts so arev bers 4kofthe device -Whenfi't isdesired to apply the fire escape 5' and 6 are'sivung apart to' approximately the relative Vposition shown-fin .Figl -1 and preferably as rangedl vthat the friction*v block 15 of the left hand 'member 54 is in alignmenty With an'deloseto' the/rope 17 with the rope in front-of thegeross jbar 7.y IlVlienfthe memvbeseen thatthenre escape may bereadi-ly applied laterally -oi' vbroad-"side Ito the rope without having'- an end Y of 'the rope available..Y Then.. they handles. of the. .device are yes set forth in the claims herein.

formed by the bent strip of metal at 'the'- lower end of handle 25 affords a convenient `are so separated it will drawn towards each other bringing. the opposite frictionA blocks 15 and 30 closely into frictional engagement with the rope on opposite sides of the rope.

it Will be seen that the cross bar 8 hook 29 will cross in front of the' rope and that as the members approach closed posi* tion the hook 29 Will engage they project/ina' portion of the sha-nk of bolt 13 underneath the head 14e and that ,thereupon the ltwo As theI membersl of the fire escape are Vthus brought together with its members 5 and 6 Will be pivotallv Connected to each other at their upper' ends upon opposite sides of the rope. n this connection of the upper ends of both members on both sides of the rope the drawing together of the handles of the vmembers .to create slidin or holdingv friction non ythe rope Will produce no bendingf or distorting strain upon the hingingr or cof-op-` scent upon the rope has been accomplished the fire escape is lreadily removed therefrom by simply opening thehmembers to substantial right angles to each other wheres upon the nre escape ymay be cleared from the rope. y

It will beunderstood that the particular construction 'herein shown is simply illus- On. account of trative of my inventionand that modifications and changes may be made in the construction rand shape of the part'sfvvithout departing; from `the 'spirit of 4my invention Thev loop place for'the attachment of the usual straps or webbing. not shown. either direct to the handle or by means o-f a ring 32.

In order to enable a given size of fire escape to operate properly upon slightly varying sizes of cables and also to' give a final adjustment in the device which will overcome any slightvariations inthe sizes vor fit kof the parts-ofthe fire escape I Vmake one of the friction blocks preferably friction block 30 adjustableI 'relative to its member of the device; This is accomplished by having a set screw screw-threaded Vinto the block supporting` portion 24 of the member 6 as particularly shown in Fig. 1 With the innerend of said set screw bearingae'ainst the adjacent surface ot the' friotion. block- 30. Itwill be obvious .thatby adjusting this set screw the block 30 may have its upper end positioned the slight desired distance from the portion 24. It will be understood of course that during such adjustment the nuts on bolts 3l are loosened sufficiently to allow the set screw to move the block and that after the block has been so adjusted the nuts on the saidfbolts are tightened to hold said block as near to the member 24 as thc set screw 33 will allow.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a fire escape the combination of two handled members having oppositely -disposed friction faces adapted to Yengage a rope, a cross bar rigidly projecting from one member and permanently and pivotally connected to the othei1 handled member adjacent said friction faces and tol one side thereof, a headed lug projecting from the opposite side of said rst handled member and a second cross bar fixedly projecting from the second member past the other side of said friction faces and having` a hook adapted to be broughtvinto positive interlocking); engagement with said headed. lug` when the members are closed, but leaving that side of the friction faces (lear for vthe entrance of the rope when the members are sepsnated.l y

2. In a fire escape the combination of two handled and pivotally connected members,

oppositely. disposed friction faced blocks.V mounted on said members and adapted to GEORGE M. RoUsE.

CERTIFCATE @E CRRECTN.

Patent No. 1,626, 698. Granted May 3, 1927, to

GEQRGE M, RUSE,

It is hereby eertified that the Home oi tte second mentioned assignee in the above numbered patent was erroneously writteii and printed as "Guy M. Thomas", whereas said name sboud; have been Wiitteii one printed os "Guy G. Thomas", os shown by the records of assignments in this office; and that the said Letters Patent siouid be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record ofthe case in the Patent ifice.

Signed and sealed this ist day of November, A D. 1927.

M, J. Moore, Seale Acting Commissioner of Patents v 

